Mauritius: Cost of elections
Extracted from: Rouikaya Kasenally 2009 "Chapter 8: Mauritius" IN Denis Kadima and Susan Booysen (eds) Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa 1989-2009: 20 Years of Multiparty Democracy, EISA, Johannesburg, 294-295.
Mauritius is often cited as an exemplar of democratic success in Sub-Saharan Africa. The regularity with which it holds elections, its culture of multipartyism, its track record of political stability, management of diversity, political alternation and the fact that election results have not been contested are positive features of the 'Mauritian democratic model'. In fact, the use of this model means that the island self-finances when it comes to holding elections. Managing the expenses related to elections falls under the responsibilities of the Electoral Commissioner's office. The offices of the Electoral Commissioner, Electoral Supervisory Commission and Electoral Boundaries Commission receive an annual allocation from the government earmarked and voted for in the budget. As expected, a special fund is made available during an election year. Table 4 provides a breakdown of the 2005 expenditures in the general, municipal and village elections.
Table 4: Expenditure Related to the National Assembly, Municipal and Village Elections in 2005
Amounts in Mauritian rupees (US$ 1 = Rs 28 as at June 2008).
| Item of Expenditure | National Assembly | Municipal | Village | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election Fees | 44 185 535 | 19 540 225 | 33 969 040 | 97 694 800 |
| Travel Allowance | 2 032 662 | 751 448 | 1 759 825 | 4 443 935 |
| Allowance to Caretaker/ General worker | 412 047 | 654 304 | 679 262 | 1 745 613 |
| Overtime and Allowances | 1 864 723 | 1 864 723 | ||
| Seals and Labels | 70 320 | 262 013 | 167 178 | 499 511 |
| Stores and Stationeries | 766 076 | 398 073 | 425 854 | 1 590 003 |
| Press Notices | 1 953 309 | 549 963 | 338 835 | 2 842 107 |
| Production of spots and Publicity | 988 660 | 232 961 | 220 101 | 1 441 723 |
| Postage | 113 912 | 16 460 | 22 831 | 153 203 |
| Telephone/rental of fax and cellular | 185 113 | 38 411 | 20 842 | 244 366 |
| Hotlines and Software Enhancement | 289 525 | 289 525 | ||
| Other expenses | 134 755 | 64 595 | 94 163 | 293 513 |
| Energy service Division | 689 487 | 315 423 | 117 924 | 1 122 834 |
| Printing Department | 2 170 000 | 2 500 000 | 1 862 500 | 6 532 500 |
| Ministry of Public Infrastructure | 6 458 660 | 1 361 610 | 1 550 000 | 9 370 270 |
| Police department | 65 421 480 | 25 636 720 | 29 712 185 | 120 770 385 |
| Rodrigues (Other expenses excluding fees) | 729 795 | 729 795 | ||
| Total | 128 466 059 | 53 322 206 | 70 940 540 | 251 728 805 |
Table source
Electoral Commission Office Report. 2008, Mauritius, ECO.
The Electoral Commissioner's Office has to ensure that the Register of Electors is updated and compiled every year. This is usually done through a house-to-house enquiry. Table 5 provides details on allocations pertaining to the 2005 and ongoing 2008 house-to-house enquiry.
Table 5: House-to-house enquiry 2005 and 2008
Amounts in Mauritian rupees (US$ 1 = Rs 28 as at June 2008).
| Item of Expenditure | 2005 | 2008 (est) |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 8 606 970 | 8 740 890 |
| Mileage Allowance | 249 830 | 225 500 |
| Refund of bus fares | 65 312 | |
| Overtime | 63 752 | |
| Store and stationeries | 230 615 | 273 609 |
| Press notices | 271 603 | 45 000 |
| Spot publicity | 279 997 | 470 572 |
| Other expenses | 14 847 | |
| Maintenance and Repairs | 917 | |
| Rodrigues | ||
| Fees | 394 740 | 392 850 |
| Travel | 21 038 | |
| Overtime | 31 846 | |
| Tickets/taxi chargers | 25 450 | |
| Other expenses | 10 895 | |
| Printing department | 950 000 | |
| Total for Canvass | 11 217 632 | 10 148 421 |
| Total for Registration | 3 649 563 | |
| Grand Total | 14 867 195 | 10 148 421 |
Table source
Electoral Commission Office Report. 2008, Mauritius, ECO.
The cost of elections is entirely covered by the government of Mauritius.